Wow, what a week.

A stint of volunteer wardening at Neston Reedbed to, hopefully, prevent the local lobotomised knob heads from setting fire to it allowed me to catch up with 'our' local Cetti's Warbler as darkness fell. Two Whimbrel and two singing Grasshopper Warblers were year 'ticks'.

A meeting in Brigg thankfully finished early enough for me to divert up to Lytham St Annes in the fair county of Lancashire for a stunning adult Ross's Gull - only my 2nd in the UK. Thie first was in 1980! Ta to Big Al aka 'The Apprentice' for sticking with the bird until I got there. Unfortunately because I spent so much time looking at the bird it flew before I could get the camera set up. I believe two well known N West Photographers flushed it yesterday.........
The Lesser Spotted The Woodpecker performed well in Stanney Woods but my visit was cut short by news of a Cheshire Lifer along the M53 at Red Rocks. A stunning male Black Redstart. it showed distantly but well for about an hour before I left to walk around the Lighthouse Paddocks looking for more migrants with Frank Duff. Steve Williams beat it to us and phoned just as we arrived to say he'd got a first summer Ring Ouzel in the paddocks. Not much else around but after a bacon buttie at the excellent Lighthouse cafe we were joined by Allan Conlin for another walk around - the highlights being several Willow Warblers!

Sunday saw me shhoting back to Inner Marsh Farm RSPB with Al Orton to track down the elusive Garganey. A succesful mission accmplished in freezing weather. We also found the long staying 1st summer Little Gull amongst the nesting Black-headed Gulls.

Finally, the Mega Alert went off twice this afternoon - Calandra Lark on Fair Isle and Black Lark in Norfolk. I'm chilled. Both OML.